Valve train tick

[Dragboat Dad]

We are helping a friend who has a noise coming from the valve cover area. It's a Hardin Marine BBC in a jet boat. We think it has hydraulic lifters. The noise stays pretty constant. We suspect a lifter problem. Anyone have any helpful hints to locate the source of this noise. If they are hydraulic, could they need an adjustment. We are only familiar with the roller set up in our boat. Thanks in advance, Tom

[MANIC MECHANIC]

Go down to your local Sears and buy a mechanic's stethescope, touch the point of the stethescope lightly but firmly to the valve cover above each valve as it's running, and you will quickly identify which valve is the source of the noise. Also since you will have a stethescope in your toolbox you can listen to your dragboat engine (each individual valve, each main and each rod, on both sides at the pan rail), learn the normal sounds coming from each point, and you can spot out of adjustment valves as well as an impending trouble in the bottom end. I do this regularly on my freind's dragboat and have saved him from almost certainly blowing the eng. once. (the piston skirt was broken on both sides as well as cracks up into the dome of the piston on each side of the wrist pin, the unusual sound was a pinging sound at the bottom of the cyl. that got progressively worse after each run) Tim
[ August 23, 2003, 06:01 PM: Message edited by: MANIC MECHANIC ]

[Rexone]

If a hydraulic lifter is ticking that was not previously ticking something has obviously changed. Several possibilities:
Normal wear.. maybe, if the lifter was adjusted on the edge of being too loose in the first place.
Abnormal wear...some possibilities Cam going flat, pushrod end or rocker arm going away, bad lifter leaking, rocker arm nut backing off, stock rocker stud loose, rocker not getting adequate oil and rocker ball wearing down (rocker too). All are possibilities and I've seen all of them occur. Most common would be bad lifter or adjusted too loose in the first place.
Simple way to find is with a engine stethoscope (or the poor mans version... a piece of vacuum hose, one end in your ear, other end moved around the valve train to zero in on the noise source). Once you find which one pull the rocker and inspect the parts for abnormal wear, rocker, rocker ball, pushrod. If you see nothing abnormal put it back together and readjust, run it and see if it gets loose again. Most hydraulics are adjusted correctly at about 1/2 turn past zero lash. Some say 1/4, some say 3/4, I like 1/2... not super critical in most cases on that.
Hope that helps you. :)

[Chunk]

The boat Dragboat Dad is refering to is mine. I'm pretty sure the noise is coming from the lifter, but what I want to know is it okay to run the engine this way? I have a trip planned for labor day and I don't want to replace it before then.

[Chunk]

Simple way to find is with a engine stethoscope (or the poor mans version... a piece of vacuum hose, one end in your ear, other end moved around the valve train to zero in on the noise source). Once you find which one pull the rocker and inspect the parts for abnormal wear, rocker, rocker ball, pushrod. If you see nothing abnormal put it back together and readjust, run it and see if it gets loose again. Most hydraulics are adjusted correctly at about 1/2 turn past zero lash. Some say 1/4, some say 3/4, I like 1/2... not super critical in most cases on that. What do you mean by zero lash? Thanks for all the responses

[Rexone]

I would check it out as indicated above, chances are all you need to do is tighten it up. But if you do have an abnormal wear problem (valve train part going away), the answer to your question is that yes it will hurt it, especially if the cam were to be going flat. It's worth checking rather than ignoring and hoping for the best. All this is assuming it just started ticking.
Adjusting one hydraulic... With the engine idling, tighten the rocker nut up to the point where the ticking just disappears. Tighten 1/2 additional turn beyond that.. done deal.
Zero lash is when there is no clearence when lifter is on the heel of the cam (valve closed).

[Fiat48]

Just pull the valve covers, turn the engine over and watch the valve action. If you got a rocker not opening as far as others..find out why. Check for broken/loose stud, bent pushrods, etc. Adjust one cylinder at a time. Adjust the intake valve as the exhaust just STARTS TO OPEN. Adjust the exhaust valve as the intake valve ALMOST CLOSES. Works for your roller setup too.

[Hallett19]

I had a similar problem in my boat. I never completley pinpointed the exact problem, but my lifters would tick with every turn of the motor. Eventually my oil pump croaked right before I was going to pull the motor to replace the lifters. I had a low volume oil pan/high volume oil pump and that wiped my motor. Starve the top end and you will collapse lifters like a pueblo in a mexican earthquake. After a dooley pan from rexone and new lifters, as well as a new oil pump, motor is good times !

[GofastRacer]

A litle tid bit here!. A hydraulic lifter is a presision piece and the tolerance between the plunger and the housing is critical. Some of these cheap lifters that come in a white box from who knows where have so much clearance in them that they bleed off so much oil that they won't stay pumped up and no matter how much oil pressure or preload you have they will still clatter, been down that road before!. Not saying that's your problem but it is a possibility, just to be aware!..... :rolleyes:

[GofastRacer]

Fiat48:
Adjust one cylinder at a time. Adjust the intake valve as the exhaust just STARTS TO OPEN. Adjust the exhaust valve as the intake valve ALMOST CLOSES. Works for your roller setup too. Yep, the only way to adjust valves!.. :)

[blownmoney]

What do you mean by zero lash? Thanks for all the responses take it to your local mechanic and just have em look it over before you head out this weekend, something simple to fix now , could get real expensive real quick. i understand you want to have a good weekend, but how much fun will you have if you blow it up the first day a hundred miles from home?... just my .02

[Racing Ray]

Since valve lash is recommended to be done "hot" be sure to adjust all intake valves first. The exhaust valves will hold the heat much longer than the intakes.

[Hotcrusader76]

Dragboat Dad:
We are helping a friend who has a noise coming from the valve cover area. It's a Hardin Marine BBC in a jet boat. We think it has hydraulic lifters. The noise stays pretty constant. We suspect a lifter problem. Anyone have any helpful hints to locate the source of this noise. If they are hydraulic, could they need an adjustment. We are only familiar with the roller set up in our boat. Thanks in advance, Tom Something else to consider is your rocker arm hitting your valve cover :rolleyes:
I've been chaseing my ticking sound for a week now only to discover that the sheet-metal sound is coming from the valve cover...Low and behold...I was right, very evident wear was found on my gold crane rocker on one side.
Now it's time for new valve covers :D
~Ty
[ September 01, 2003, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: Hotcrusader76 ]